It had to happen sooner or later; following the success of the Hotel Tonight model in the US, it was inevitable a similar business would emerge in Asia.

From February 25, a new mobile travel app, ‘CheckInTonight' will be available for free downloads from the iTunes App Store, with an Android version due out later in the year.

‘CheckInTonight' is designed to give travellers in South-east Asia the opportunity to book same-day accommodation quickly and easily, according to the Phnom Penh-based company behind the app, CheckInTonight.Asia.

The application is based on the existing mobile site, ‘CheckInTonight.asia', described as South-east Asia's only same-day hotel booking system, launched in August 2012. By extension, ‘CheckInTonight' is the first application of its kind to be offered in the region.

Announcing the launch of ‘CheckInTonight', CEO of CheckInTonight.asia Mark Southby said in a press statement, "We have found that travellers, tourists, and even local residents are increasingly looking to make quick, short-term travel and accommodation decisions.  ‘CheckInTonight' enables all of these groups to secure a last minute hotel booking, should they wish to.

"In addition, hotels now have a marketplace to fill rooms at the last minute that would otherwise have remained empty.  Hotels have full control over how much discount they wish to offer in order to fill their rooms on each evening."

The company says that ‘CheckInTonight' will feature the three best last-minute hotel deals from a travellers' selected region – it claims a user can book a hotel in less than 10 seconds.

Full story:

www.webintravel.com//news/checkintonight-focuses-on-sameday-hotel-bookings-in-southeast-asia_3584